England football fans descended on Madison Square Garden to watch Luke Littler and Luke Humphries in action at the US Darts Masters, days before the Three Lions play their final World Cup group match.
Thomas Tuchel’s side are due to be in action against Panama at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday night.
With fans already gathering ahead of the match, thousands took the opportunity to head to Madison Square Garden on Thursday for the US Darts Masters.
Numerous England shirts were visible at the Infosys Theater in the famous New York venue on the opening day of action.
Former Premier League stars Troy Deeney and David Bentley were among those in attendance, taking advantage of the opportunity to double up on World Cup and darts competitions.
Defending champion Luke Humphries was among those in action as he overcame Leonard Gates 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals.
Luke Littler was among the stars in action at the US Darts Masters at Madison Square Garden
England fans watched the action in their thousands, ahead of the Three Lions playing their final World Cup group match against Panama in New Jersey
Former Premier League stars Troy Deeney and David Bentley were among those in attendance
‘This is a really prestigious event and one of the best venues in the world,’ said Humphries, who will next face Stephen Bunting.
‘My brother told me in the last eight events I’ve played in – including the Premier League – I’ve made eight finals on the trot, so that’s given me a lot of confidence.
‘I’ve been a really tough player to beat in the last few weeks, and it’s nice to have that winning feeling back.’
Two-time world champion Luke Littler was also among the winners, beating former North American champion David Cameron to reach the last eight.
Josh Rock, however, was shocked on the night by Canadian veteran Jim Long, who secured a 6-4 victory.
The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final are set to take place in front of a sell-out crowd of 5,000 fans, a record for darts in the US, on Friday.
Littler and Humphries had both stopped by ITV’s Brooklyn based studio in the build-up to the competition.
The darts stars joined ITV presenter Laura Woods and former Scotland star Duncan Ferguson in a light-hearted competition during the broadcaster’s World Cup coverage.
ITV will broadcast England’s match against Panama on Saturday as Thomas Tuchel’s side look to book their place in the last-32 of the World Cup and advance as group winners.
